The Italy striker scored the winner in Genoa's 1-0 win over Parma on Wednesday night, helping the Rossoblu open up a five-point cushion over the bottom three. Afterwards, he expressed his desire to see the job through to the end amid speculation linking him with a move to Canada in January.

"While people are talking about Gilardino, then that’s always a good thing," he told Sky. "I’m a Genoa player and I gave everything tonight, and I want to remain here and carry on doing well.

"This was the biggest game of our lives tonight. It was so important to win as that allowed us to take a big step forwards. The way we played is the way the fans want to see us play."

It could have been an even better night for the 31-year-old and his side had he not missed a penalty in the first half, something his coach Gian Piero Gasperini would have banked on him putting away.

"I got him to take the penalty tonight because he missed three out of three in training this morning and I’ve never seen any footballer miss four on the same day," Gasperini said. "Well, here he is."